My first recollection of the term “rich” dates back to around Halloween 1984. While my other four-year-old friends dressed up as ghosts, witches and Snow White, my costume was Richie Rich, “The richest kid in the world.”  Hana Barbera’s Richie Rich was a cartoon series about a fictitious little boy whose animated life couldn’t have been further from my childhood truth. While this young boy summered on a gold painted yacht, I elbowed my way around the sand pit at Elm Park in Worcester, Massachusetts. Richie had a butler and a maid, as well as a room full of stuffed animals, video game machines, an outdoor tennis court and shiny blonde hair. I did not have such luxuries.

Rich, as depicted on this half-hour animated program for kids, was life at its fullest and grandest. Rich had fancy clothes, full-time help, flashy cars and a bottomless piggybank. He could buy a toy even when it wasn’t his birthday. Richie Rich also seemed quite happy and pretty much liked by everyone. In a nutshell – rich was having lots of stuff, countless dollar bills and a smile locked on your face.

Fortunately my education of what constitutes “rich” didn’t end there but it was a memorable influence. And for many of us our initial introductions to “rich” stem from childhood and they usually focus on the material aspects. But it’s not a complete definition and more importantly, it doesn’t quite speak to personal needs and goals. What about the kind of rich that leads to emotional and mental gratification?

Share me your thoughts on the matter.

More on this in my upcoming book, Psych Yourself Rich, which hits bookstores this fall.